Sealed or Ported

[nonameputs]

Hey there. I'm thinking about getting the us acoustics usx2150 amp and running two JBL GT120's (the new one's, not the old one's) off of it. They can take about 250 watts RMS each and the amp puts out 450 watts when bridged. But anyway. I want to know what you think would sound better. I am an audiophile. I don't want the gross, muddy, ghetto bass that most people want. I want the best SQ that I can get out of those subs and amp. So should I go with sealed or ported? I was leaning toward sealed, but I'm not completely sure. This is my first venture into car audio, but I have worked heavily with PA (concerts and the like). I know what sounds good and what sounds bad, and I can make any speakers sound the best they can possibly sound with an large EQ and a couple x-overs, but I'm not used to working with subs that are only 12" around (my PA system's low end is run with eight 18" subs with 1000 watts of power a piece and two dual 15" cabinets with 2000 watts pushing each). I don't want your opinion on the subs because I know how well JBL can make speakers and by looking at the specs on these I can tell that they can sound really good if you have half a brain. I just want to know what generally sounds better, a ported box, or a sealed box for car audio.

 

[KEbert]

If you are looking for SQ then I would reccomend ported. And, In my opinion, if you just want sq then you really don't need 2 12's. You could go to 1 12 and put it in a big ported box and still get really good quality.

 

[Explorer94GV]

8 18s why are you asking us? **** you seem to know your stuff. A ported box will give you deep low bass "ghetto" probably not with 12s but it wont be total tight. A sealed box will give you punchy bass. As far as sq i have no clue which one will do better. Im a basshead and i like ported for it.

 

[nonameputs]

I have one more question that I forgot to ask: These subs need 1 cubic foot each. It's really hard to find boxes that size and I don't want to make one. I was wondering if it would be better to have a smaller box stuffed with poly fill, or an empty box that's larger? Thanks.

 

[Rscotts1]

It has been my experience that a sealed box will give you better SQ. I have read this in various publications, but somebody else here might have some different info. Personally, I use sealed enclosures for my 2 Kicker Compvr4 12" Subs.

 

[DocVijay]

Ported = louder
Sealed = cleaner

A ported enclosure will be louder, as the port is usually tuned to a particular frquency and thus reinforces that frequency. A sealed enclosure will not be as loud, but will be much cleaner. The air pressure behind the sub will helpcontrol excessive motion. Also, fill the enclosure with some sort of poly-fill stufing. Another thing to do is to make sure no two surfaces of the box are parallel (that's why most boxes have a slanted front). Also, make sure that no two lengths of the box are equal in length. These will all help to control unwanted frequencies.

 

[nonameputs]

So should I stuff the box no matter what size it is? I found a box that has 1.2 cubic feet and the inside is lined with poly fill, it's $72. Does that sound pretty good?